Montepulciano Off The Beaten Path Tips by sue_stone Top 5 Page for this destination

Montalcino

Montalcino is a beautiful Tuscan hill town, which sits looking over the Orcia valley, 38km west of Montepulciano. It is famous for its wine - Brunello di Montalcino, which is one of the best (and most expensive) wines produced in Italy.

We stayed in Montalcino for two nights, tasted our fair share of the local drop and explored the surrounding area. Our hotel room had views across the valley, in fact the early morning view from our window was one of the most stunning I have seen in Italy.

Montalcino really is a lovely town - the landscape around it is gorgeous, and there is that very drinkable wine to consider! It makes a great day trip or half day trip from Montepulciano.

For more details, check out my Montalcino page.

Website: http://www.montalcino.net/

Pienza

Located just 14 km from Montepulciano is the delightful town of Pienza, which is perched on a hill overlooking the rolling landscape of the Val d'Orcia. This tiny walled town is refreshingly not overrun with big tourist groups and is quiet enough to lose yourself to the stunning scenery surrounding it.

There is not a lot to see here, it is more about its location in one of the most stunning parts of Tuscany. It is a place to stop and sample the creamy, locally made Pecorino cheese and perhaps a glass or Brunello produced in nearby Montalcino.

Take a stroll along the town walls, enjoy the colours of Tuscany and plot your return.

It is an easy day/half day trip from Montepulciano. If you arrive by car, you will find small parking lots around the edge of the old town. There isn't a huge amount of parking though, so grab whatever you can find. We found a shady, free parking spot about 5 minutes walk from Piazza Dante Alighieri.

If you don't have a car, you can catch a bus from Montepulciano. There are several services a day, and they arrive/depart from Piazza Dante Alighieri.

For more information, visit my Pienza page.

Website: http://www.pienza.com/